Point Of Inquiry
by ShadowManipulator7
Summary: I don't really know what to tell you here, other than I'm a particularly strange girl, paired with two wacky teammates, and we're from a village that never seems to want to make peace with other Villages. Oh, and that we've met some pretty dangerous people since we entered the Chunin Exams, but I'll let you be the judge of that. - GaaraxOC - Part 1 of ? - Not much romance, sorry.
1. Chapter 1

[AN: This is a sort-of prologue to go with the release of the first chapter of this story. It simply states who my characters are, where they're from, etc. Obviously I do not release all my information at once, so for more you'll have to continue reading (no shit …). Arigato!]

Team Katsu

~ Kurosawa Tika (Teacup)

Age: 13

Hair: White; short; bangs; usually kept in parted braids

Eyes: Crimson

Skin: Pale

Height: 4'6"

Body: Curvy; petite

Tattoos: Dragon on right wrist; star on left wrist; ring of fire on stomach (all black)

Scars: None

Piercings: 6 earrings; lip ring; nose ring

Talents: Singing, dancing, art

Family: Mother, step-father, grandmother, 2 cousins, aunt, uncle

Pet Peeves: Interrupting people, loud noises, people throwing up (for comedic purposes), bullies, prejudice, the sun

Fears: Silence, clowns, gnomes, spiders, being alone, Death

Academy Graduation Age: 11

Village: Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain)

~ Maki Hayato

Age: 13

Hair: Black; shaved; short; puffy

Eyes: Charcoal

Skin: Brown

Height: 5'2"

Body: Medium; strong

Tattoos: Falcon on left bicep (white)

Scars: Two scratch marks on left shoulder and three scratches on right bicep, scar over left eye

Piercings: None

Talents: Music, sports, games

Family: Father, mother, 3 brothers, 2 sisters

Pet Peeves: Prejudice, birds, cats, pranks (mean-spirited ones), bullies

Fears: Ghosts, explosive noises, large beasts, spiders, being alone

Academy Graduation Age: 11

Village: Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain)

~ Yamauchi Akio

Age: 13

Hair: Black; short; spiky

Eyes: Chocolate

Skin: Tan

Height: 5'0"

Body: Medium; thin

Tattoos: Barbed wire running down left arm and a dragon on right side of torso (both black)

Scars: None

Piercings: Left earring

Talents: Sports, games, making jokes

Family: Father, mother, 3 sisters, aunt, uncle

Pet Peeves: People with no manners, rules (any and all of them), prejudice, bullies, bright light

Fears: Being alone forever, not fitting in (also being laughed AT rather than with), heights

Academy Graduation Age: 11

Village: Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain)

~ Yukimura Katsu (The Scorpion)

Age: 25

Hair: Golden; shaved on sides; pulled into a ponytail; long; goatee and stubble

Eyes: Golden

Skin: Light tan

Height: 5'11"

Body: Medium; muscular

Tattoos: Scorpion across chest, tribal designs on right side of face and left shoulder, spiral with a star in the center on right forearm (all blue)

Scars: Scar over left side of torso

Piercings: None

Talents: Unknown

Family: Unknown (for the most part), fiancé

Pet Peeves: Unknown

Fears: Unknown

Academy Graduation Age: 9

Village: Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain)

[AN: Also, keep in mind that the following story will have additional OC's (the families of the currently listed characters), but I may or may not add bios for them. I'll see how this goes first. Ta-ta! Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	2. Chapter 2

[AN: I am going to hell for this … I am SO going to hell for this … I still have so many unwritten stories on my page that I HAVEN'T FINISHED YET. Grrrrr, my viewers are going to hate me for this. *shudders* Oh, hey! Yeah, forget my, uh, rambling episode from before and just … I don't know, enjoy the first chapter of this story, I guess. If you've already read the summary and character bios then you're ready to read! Have fun! Ugh, I hate myself for this … Arigato!]

**Point Of Inquiry**

Tika's POV

Place: Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Tree Leaves)

Time Setting: Pre-Chunin Exams

"This place is so big!" Hayato mused aloud, turning himself around as we walked through the crowded streets of Konohagakure. He spun back to his correct walking position just before he could collide with an elderly man carrying a box of finely shaped cabbages, his dark eyes still taking in every detail of the new village. "It's no wonder we got lost so easily."

"Speak for yourself." Akio mumbled, his arms stretched lazily behind his head and his eyes drooping as we trotted past another shop. "These streets aren't that difficult to navigate."

"Really, you think so?" Hayato challenged, cocking an eyebrow at his best friend and mock-rival. Despite the fact that I knew he was simply teasing his comrade, Hayato's temple adorned a popped vein, a sign that clearly stated that the brawlers' patience was wearing thin.

"I know so." Akio answered immediately with a smile, looking bored and all-too pleased with himself at the same time.

"Then why don't we head back to our room now? You can lead the way." Hayato clapped Akio on the back, causing the weapon-wielder to stumble forward out of his stretching position so he could catch himself before he smacked face-first into a pole.

Righting himself up again I noticed a tick, similar to the one on Hayato's face, appear on Akio's forehead. "I don't want to go back just yet. I want to look around before the Exams start."

"Suuuuuuuure, whatever you say, douche bag." Hayato replied, not even bothering to cover up his blatant sarcasm or the use of a foul name to his friend.

I quietly sighed at their behaviour. I enjoyed their conversations usually and even joked along with them when we were all together out and about like we were now. I can't very well say that I enjoyed their crude, male humour (_although being a bit of a tomboy myself I didn't really mind it_), but most of the time the boys amused me. I loved my teammates, I really did, but sometimes they got a little out of hand. Especially when we were in public. _Correction: especially when we were in public in **other nations**_. They knew how important our missions were, yet they still had to pester each other on a daily basis. In my mind I imagined that lightning would strike them both from the Heavens just to whip them back into their prankster selves if they ever decided to be nice to each other.

_Oh well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em._

However, just before I could join my teammates in another round of tomfoolery (_at their expense, of course_), a high-pitched cry cut through the afternoon atmosphere like a freshly-sharpened kunai. On instinct, our entire team halted and glanced around, attempting to figure out where the noise had come from. Another cry - most likely from the same person - erupted from behind a fence that stood by our side. I could hear at least seven different voices mixed in with the fray, all of them young enough to at least be Genin. Akio, who was closest to the fence, peeked through a hole in the wood to observe the situation, whispering to us about what was taking place on the other side of the board.

"There's a big guy holding a little kid by the neck …" Akio trailed off, either from not having anything else to say or for fear of being heard.

However, a 'fear of being heard' was not a risk factor when it came to Hayato and Akio. In just a brief second they had hopped the fence and landed on the cobblestone in the alleyway next to us, leaving me to simply listen to the situation from where I still stood. The other voices questioned what my two friends were doing butting into their business, but didn't seem to do anything about it. I shook my head, knowing that once the boys were interested in something - _anything for that matter_ - their attention wasn't going to be drawn away from it without a fight … or at the very least without a few annoying questions.

I got tired of merely standing in the middle of the road and decided to get a front-row ticket to observe this little show. I silently - _and I do mean silently_ - hopped up to the top of a tree that hung over the alley. I settled myself on a branch just above my teammates - _my presence still unknown to all that stood below me_ - and watched the debacle with an amused grin.

The big guy Akio had been talking about was indeed lifting a little boy up by his collar, the kid looking completely terrified as he shivered under the man's grip. The 'big guy' in question wore a black body suit with a matching black hat - _which oddly resembled cat ears_ - fingerless black gloves, and had purple kabuki makeup traced across his face. He carried what appeared to be a puppet on his back, but it was concealed under a mess of tattered wrappings. The man in the black suit was about fourteen or so, give or take, but appeared to be on the tall side for this age. He also didn't seem to give a rats ass as to whether or not he scaring the child held within his grasp.

"You're starting to annoy me." He said, seemingly amused by the tone in his voice. "First off, I'm allergic to 'shrimp'!" _Ooooooh, nice comeback, dude. So totally original. (Here's a fun fact about me: I'm the Queen of Sarcasm)_ "Bad enough that you're a short little kid … you're disrespecting your elders. You make me want to kill him."

I noticed that he wasn't actually talking to the child in his grasp, he was directing his words to the blonde boy positioned in a fighting stance a couple yards in front of him. This boy had bright yellow hair, electric blue eyes, and … _were those whiskers? What the bloody fuck? Whatever_. He wore a blue and orange jacket with matching pants and blue sandals, his forehead protector gleaming with the symbol of Konoha just above his brow. This boy seemed to still be a rookie, most likely shot straight out of the Academy not too long ago. He, along with the other kids on his side of the alleyway, all seemed astounded that the black-clothed shinobi had said such a thing.

A blonde girl with four pigtails sighed aloud, looking away from her puppet-master companion. "I … will not be held responsible for this …" She wore a light purple dress that buttoned up on the right side with a sash tied around her waist, most likely in order to carry the giant fan that was attached to her backside. She had mesh armour covering her forearms, parts of her legs, and her shoulders where her dress had suddenly cut off. She wore her forehead protector around her neck - _just like I did_ - but it beamed the symbol of Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. She had a very attractive face and, based on looks alone, I assumed she was older than the guy next to her.

The big guy focused his attention back on the smaller kid. "So I'll finish with this tiny shrimp and move on to the jumbo shrimp over there." He raised his fist, obviously intending to give the pipsqueak a nice, dark shiner.

"Hey, he didn't do anything to you." Hayato interceded, about ready to draw a kunai if the situation demanded it. He and Akio were both visibly unnerved by the turn of events, seemingly attempting to do the right thing, yet they were unsure just how to do that since this wasn't our town to fight in.

The big guy in the body suit looked over at my teammates, fist still raised in front of him. "He ran into me. 'Kid should've watched where he was going, otherwise he wouldn't be learning a lesson." His fist then began to fly towards the boys face.

Just as the blonde kid with whiskers was running over to help the defenseless boy out of trouble (_but he probably would've gotten pummeled in the process_), a rock clocked the black-clothed bully across the face, causing him to drop the smaller boy onto the stone path. Everyone looked in the direction that the rock had flown from and found a dark-haired boy perched across a branch in a nearby tree, a few more stones held within his hands. He wore white cutoff pants, a dark blue shirt with a high collar, and matching arm and leg bands. His forehead protector read Konoha as well, so I could only assume that he belonged to the same squad as the blonde kid. He seemed distant, his eyes holding little emotion and his expression more or less blank. The word '_emo_' instantly popped into my head before I could help it.

"Tell me … what are you guys doing in our village?" The dark-haired boy said. Even his voice was void of emotion.

Silence passed between the eleven of us (_although I couldn't have uttered a word even if I had wanted to_) for merely a moment before the big guy spoke again. "Oh, look. Another little brat."

"Get lost." The kid sitting in the tree simply said.

The group from Konoha all seemed to marvel at this strangers 'cool factor', all except the blonde kid who seemed intent on glaring daggers at the new arrival. Ignoring the petty banter between them, the Sand Village boy continued speaking with the Leaf shinobi up in the tree.

"Come down, little squirrel!" He called.

"You're not really good at name-calling, are you?" Akio chuckled.

The Sand Village kid smirked at my comrades, his attention now focused on beating the crap out of five people. _Damn it all, Akio, why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut? We could've been enjoying a nice steaming bowl of ramen by now._ "Think you're pretty smart, don't you?" He shrugged the doll off of his back, holding the top of it at his side with a sinister look on his makeup-covered face.

The girl next to him seemed to finally have an issue with the standpoint of the fray, but not in the way that I was expecting. "Tell me you're not planning to use the 'Crow'!" _That must be the name of his special jutsu or something …_ The girl tried to stop her teammate from doing whatever he was going to do, but before he was able to do so yet another voice joined the mix. This voice, however, was cold, demanding, and just like the kid in the tree, void of feelings.

"Kankuro! Don't."

Again we all looked towards where the voice had come from and saw a red-haired boy, not much older than the raven-haired kid a few feet from him, hanging upside down from a branch just over the two Sand shinobi. He wore a black T-shirt with short mesh sleeves, dark trousers and sandals, and had an off-white sash wrapped around his shoulders, although the end of it was hanging in front of his arms now. Another thick strap was secured over his chest which connected to what looked to be a large gourd, his forehead protector - which also gleamed the Suna symbol - tied around the strap of the container instead of on his body. I was impressed that he could carry such a heavy object on his back while hanging by his feet. He had his arms crossed over his chest, a stern, yet impassive expression on his pale face. His irises, which were a brilliant shade of aquamarine, were concealed beneath thick black rings around his eyes, a feature I wasn't sure was made by makeup or as a birthmark. There was also the kanji for 'love' written into the left side of his forehead, a mark that I'm sure was more of a scar rather than a tattoo. I couldn't get a very good read on him, but so far he seemed to be quite intimidating _… to the other shinobi here, at least._

He continued to talk, his gaze directed at the dark-clothed guy who was nearly trembling on the pavement below. "You're a disgrace to our entire village. It annoys me that you'd lose control in a quarrel with children. Have you forgotten why we came here?" _Second reading: he seemed to be the boss in the Suna squad._ I narrowed my eyes as they kept conversing, all the while thankful that Akio and Hayato had not gotten involved in this fight.

"But Gaara … They started it. The little one slammed me." The big guy - _Kankuro, as the red-haired boy had called him_ - muttered, pointing to the Konoha group as if he were a toddler explaining to an adult why he took a cookie out of the cookie jar before supper. It was honestly kind of pathetic.

The guy in the tree - _Gaara, if I heard him correctly_ - wasn't having any of it though. "Shut up …" He responded, his voice like ice. "Or I'll kill you." _With an attitude like that, I'm sure he would kill the guy, right here and now … Heh, now that would be quality entertainment._ I almost laughed at the morbid thought. _Thanks for my sense of humour, mom …_

Kankuro visibly shivered at the nonchalantly-delivered assault and it seemed that the blonde girl next to him was about ready to tremble as well. Kankuro straightened up and apologized immediately. "You're right. I was out of line."

"We're sorry … Okay, Gaara?" The girl added, probably just to appease her dark-natured comrade. "Really, really sorry!"

The Gaara kid turned to the dark-haired boy, who still sat in the tree near him, and spoke. "Sorry about my friends." He didn't seem to take the word 'friends' to heart, meaning that his teammates really weren't anything special to him at all. _What a waste._ Suddenly, millions of tiny grains of sand began to swarm around the boys' body like a hive of aggravated, buzzing bees. After a moment the swarm disappeared, along with the red-haired boy who had been up in the tree. However, he reappeared on the ground, standing in between the two Suna shinobi, in the same swarm of sand that he had used previously. "I know we're a little early …" He began, his voice directed at his squad. " … but we did not come here to play around."

"I swear it won't happen again." Kankuro said immediately in a respectful manner.

I glanced down at my friends, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet during the whole scene, and saw them exchange a knowing look, most likely sharing the same thoughts that I myself was thinking. _Our squad had come to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams held here in Konoha, so who's to say that these Suna shinobi weren't here for the same thing? Hmmm, if we encounter them during the Exams, then it will be an event most interesting to watch._

The Sand team was just about to leave the alleyway when a voice, the female of the Konoha group, called out to them, causing them to halt. This girl was young, just like the blonde and raven-haired boys, but she seemed oddly frail for a kunoichi. She had lovely, long pink hair with her forehead protector - shining the symbol of Tree Leaves - pulled up in a headband fashion. _A ninja's mark is not something to be worn fashionably, girl_. She wore a sleeveless red dress with tight green leggings and matching sandals. Her skin was pale, but obtained a flawless glow, and she had bright green eyes. She didn't seem to have any ruthless qualities about her, but what she lacked in intimidation she made up for in knowledge.

"According to your headbands you three come from the Village Hidden in the Sand." The girl started. She then glanced at my two male squad members. "And you two come from the Village Hidden in the Rain." _Yes, and it is indeed **always** hidden in the rain …_ "Your country is one of Konoha's allies … while yours remains neutral …" The girl added, still looking between the foreign shinobi that stood before her. "… But according to our treaty, your ninja are not permitted to cross the border without authorization. State your business! We can't just let either of you go your merry way!"

The girl did have a point, a very good one at that, but it surprised me that she hadn't even the slightest idea as to why foreigners could be taking residence in Konoha. _I suppose it is to be expected though, with them being new recruits and all._

The kunoichi from Suna seemed to share my thoughts as she dug something out of her pocket and chuckled. "Ever heard the old saying about it being darkest at the base of the brightest lighthouse? Weren't you informed?" She said as she showed the flower-haired girl her travel papers, the name **Temari** written in bold. "As you guessed, we're junior-level ninja from the Hidden Sand Village. We're here to take the Chunin Selection Exam."

A moment of awkward silence passed before the kid with whiskers spoke. "What's the Chunin Selection Exam?"

"How dense are you?" Hayato said to the kid before the kunoichi could answer his question.

"Hey! So what if I don't know what it is?! Is this Exam really that special?!" _This kid seriously needs to tone it down a peg. I think he split my eardrums_.

"Well yeah, it's what determines if you're eligible to be a Chunin-level ninja." Akio responded just as easily as the girl with the fan had.

"Chunin-level ninja …" The kid muttered, still apparently lost about the subject.

The Sand kunoichi - _Temari_ - then proceeded to explain why the Chunin Exams were being held and as to what they would entail, but her lecture was cut short when the young shinobi turned to the little boy who had been held captive earlier and began to rant and rave in excitement about becoming a Chunin-level ninja. His distraction seemed to only infuriate the girl as she shrieked about having good manners while listening to someone. _All I'm missing right now is garlic-butter popcorn …_

"Obviously you didn't get the memo." Hayato continued after the girl had given up on speaking. "Which is surprising since this is your town. You would think you'd be the first to know. Even if you are still rookies." The three Konoha shinobi all seemed to take a little offense to this statement, but nevertheless it was true. They should've known and were probably wondering why they weren't told sooner about this upcoming event.

"Speaking of memos, where's Teacup?" Akio asked, glancing around the area for a clue of where I might be.

_I guess that's my cue to drop in …_ I slyly and silently made my way off the branch and hopped down behind my companions, my figure unseen even by the best Jonins' eye. I finally made my presence be known as I lifted my fingers and tapped both my teammates on their shoulders. They didn't shriek like I had wanted them to, but they did jump pretty far out of their own skins, which seemed to satisfy the inner prankster in me. The other shinobi were also a bit surprised at my sudden apparition, but didn't voice their protests like my squad mates were.

"You're like a fucking ghost, I swear." Hayato said as he tried to regain his cool, hands firmly placed at his hips. Akio held a similar position, looking embarrassed that I had bested him so easily.

I allowed a giggle to creep out of my throat, but because of my mask it was muffled and sounded a lot darker than I meant it to be. _I suppose in my current state, I do look like a ghost. Haha, very amusing indeed._

The loud voice from the kid with whiskers interrupted my train of thought as he asked me a question. "What's with the mask?"

I blinked at him. Usually people didn't ask about my mask because, well, it intimidated them. _I_ intimidated them, although I don't really see why. I was a frail girl, like the Leaf kunoichi, but stood at a whopping 4'6", which is strange for someone of my age. I had short, pale white hair - _that's right, white hair … it's not funny, stop laughing, you shitheads!_ - which was held in several small braids at the nape of my neck and mini pig tails atop my head, and had skin the colour of ivory. Several piercings adorned my ears, as well as two on my face, and my eyes were a shocking shade of crimson. My eyes held blood, which is what made my appearance so intimidating sometimes. I had also recently taken a liking to makeup, so I wore black makeup - _done right, mind you_ - around my eyes in an attempt to make the crimson more vibrant. My lips remained untouched, not that anyone would actually notice though.

My overall appearance wasn't exactly 'true kunoichi' as my mom had said once, but it worked for my style of fighting. I wore a flowy black halter dress, the frills an off-grey colour at the very ends with the same colour lining the top of the bodice. It showed off my growing figure nicely and in such a way that I was able to use my own body as a means of distraction most of the time. I had mesh armour covering both of my legs right down to my black sandals, and an off-grey belt hung around my waist with the figurehead of a goat as the buckle. I also had mesh armour covering my wrists to my forearms and wore black titanium arm bands with spikes coming out of them. My black Amegakure forehead protector was tied loosely around my neck, hanging just above my silver family pendant. I also had three tattoos: a dragon on my right wrist (symbolizing my mother), a star on my left wrist (symbolizing my grandma), and a ring of fire on my stomach (symbolizing the importance of equality).

During missions I was often mistaken for a porcelain doll, pretty on the outside but clearly very breakable. If only my enemies knew how wrong they really were. I didn't try to look different (_well, okay, I sort of did_), but looking the way that I do makes me feel comfortable, even if that means I'd get weird or disapproving looks from the higher-leveled shinobi.

However the mask that he was referring to was made of black titanium, like my arm bands were, which covered the whole length of the lower half of my face. It ended just under my nose - _so I could breathe, thank goodness_ - and stretched over my jaw until it reached my ears, where it then buckled at the back of my head. There were short spikes covering the entire visible part of the mask, but they weren't sharp enough to do any damage. With the mask on I wasn't able to mutter a word, sometimes not even a sound, which is why I was wearing it in the first place. _And now you may be wondering why I'm even wearing a mask like this … well, too bad, because I'm not going to tell you just yet!_

Getting back to topic, I was not able to answer the boys' question because of my inability to speak at the moment. Therefore I always had one of my teammates answer for me. It was Hayato who had answered this time. "She's prohibited to take it off until the situation demands it." He said in the simplest way that he could.

"What situation would that be?" Kankuro asked, or more like demanded to know.

"One that you do not want to be in." Akio laughed as he cast me a dark look, but did not elaborate any further.

I raised my eyebrows at them as a sign of my approval and amusement at their choice of words. _Way to make me sound creepy, guys, haha_. Of course, it's not like they're completely innocent themselves. Oh no, my teammates were just as sinister as I was when it concerned our ninja ways.

Akio had a knack for weapons, that much I can tell you for now. He was of a good height for a thirteen-year old, standing at an even 5'0" and attaining a thin, yet strong build. He had tan skin, chocolate eyes, and short, spiky black hair. He almost always had a smile on his face when he wasn't on a mission and had a contagious laugh. He a piercing in his left ear - _always ignoring Hayato's cracks about it_ - and even had two tattoos: several strings of barbed wire going down his left forearm and a large dragon resting on the right side of his torso. Both were partially visible past his sleeveless grey shirt, a black star-like symbol decorated into the middle of the fabric, and he had three black buckles wrapped around his left bicep and a blue sleeve over his right arm. His pants were plainly blue with black and grey sandals, his black forehead protector wrapped around his waist like a belt. He also had a white pendant necklace around his throat, a gift he cherished from his late grandmother.

Hayato was skilled with his hands, and not in the pleasuring way, you dirty, perverted chaps! (_Well he could be, I don't know …_) I'm not really allowed to talk about it just yet, so you'll have to wait and see what I mean. He had dark skin, a rich espresso colour that was untainted by freckles or sunburns. He did, however, have a scar over his left eye, but it made him look even more rugged than he did already. His eyes and hair were the same coal black colour, but light seemed to make it's way out of the darkest depths of those iris' whenever he spoke. He had five other scars, claw marks, all from an unnamed beast that he wished never to speak of again, located on his left shoulder and right bicep. He also had a white falcon tattoo on his left arm, but it was hardly visible under the wrappings on his arms. He wore a white sleeveless shirt, which became blue once it reached a certain trim near the middle of the fabric, and had on casual black pants. His sandals were black and blue, and he had a gleaming silver arrowhead on a chain wrapped around his neck. He wore a brown belt with two smaller belts around his right thigh, and had two brown pouches attached to his forearms on each side, for quick access to smaller weapons if he ever needed them.

I simply adored my boys - _I mean this in a very casual way; I, in no way, harboured any romantic feelings for them whatsoever_ - and enjoyed my time with them. Although being a shinobi was a job, a very serious, life-threatening job, I was able to still have fun with it as we all worked together and destroyed shit. _All in a days work, right? Haha_.

The emo-looking boy, who had stayed up in the tree the entire time we had been conversing, finally hopped down and stood in front of the blonde boy and pink-haired girl. He looked over at the Sand shinobi with a determined look on his face. "Hey! You there! What's your name?"

Temari blushed automatically. "W-who, me?"

"No, I was talking to the spook besides you." He replied. I would've laughed outright if not for my mask.

The kid with the gourd paused before answering. "Gaara of the Desert, at your service." His eyes glanced over the guy in front of him, taking in everything about the opposing Genin. "And you are?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." He replied simply. He then turned to look over at our squad, but his eyes bore into mine as he asked the same question. "And what's your name?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, since he knew that I can't speak. I continued with this expression until Akio answered for me. "Her name is Kurosawa Tika, punk." There was a bite in his voice that I recognized well. It was the same bite that was in Hayato's voice whenever he was talking to another guy who was addressing me. I honestly had no idea why they reacted in such a way to others speaking to me, but I figured it was just their way of protecting me, for whatever reason. I sighed inwardly. _Boys …_

Sasuke just nodded, but not before giving Gaara and me one last glance. Gaara also gazed at me the same way he had at Sasuke. It was then I knew … I had unwittingly made two new opponents, both of which who wanted to fight me or see what I could do … Even though I honestly didn't care about either of these two. _Our team has enough to deal with already, we don't need another problem to handle on our to-do list. What is with all these shinobi looking to one-up each other? … Oh, right … 'Cause that's what ninja do … But seriously, come on! I didn't even do anything. All I did was show up … Jeez, I'll never understand some people._

"Hey!" The blonde boy behind Sasuke called out. "Don't you want to know my name?!" _It's crystal clear this boy wants attention._

"No." Gaara replied, turning around. "Let's go." Then, in the blink of an eye, all three of the Sand ninja hopped away from the alleyway.

Turning to look back at the Konoha shinobi, who were all exchanging confused and determined glances with each other, I then figured it was probably time to head back to our room at the inn. I nudged my teammates and gave them each a knowing look. I didn't even need to speak when the boys were able to understand me so easily, so the mask was no problem at all.

"Hey!" Hayato called out to the Konoha shinobi still standing in the clearing. They all looked over at once to see what was the matter. "Even though they didn't care to know, what're your names?"

The blonde kid stood up immediately, hands on his hips in a hero's pose with a radiant smile on his face. I swear the sunlight even grew brighter behind him as he spoke. "Uzumaki Naruto! I plan on becoming the next Hokage!"

Hayato and Akio looked as if they wanted to laugh, but I could sense that this Naruto kid was being serious. _Dream big or go home, I suppose._ The kunoichi behind him nodded respectfully at us, chirping out her name gracefully. "Haruno Sakura."

"Perhaps we'll see you guys at the Exams." Akio said before we all took off just like the Sand ninja.

As we reached the inn and made our way up to our room (_Akio hadn't lied when he said he did know the way back to the inn, much to Hayato's annoyance_), I couldn't help but smile behind my mask as my excitement for the Exams to start began to grow.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

[AN: First chapter done! Just to let you (that is, anyone who is reading) know, I don't usually update super quickly, so if the next chapter ends up being published in, oh say, two years, don't be surprised. Also, the romance (or any real feelings of friendship) won't start for a while (and I do mean a while). I just want to get the Exams off to steady start. A good Shonen manga is never worth reading if there is immediate romance in the beginning, so I'm using the same principle for my story. Please note that the characters clothing designs are obviously not what you would call 'ninja' because I'm not sure how to make unique ninja outfits, so their clothes may appear to be a bit more … modern, which I apologize for. Also, this is my first Naruto fanfic, so any flames I get will be used for the funeral pyre of Khal Drogo. Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']


	3. Chapter 3

[AN: I want to make two things clear that I didn't exactly explain in the last chapter … 1. I finished writing and editing the character bios and first chapter at a very late hour at night, so I was working on limited sleep. 2. I know the details of the characters were a little over the top, especially for a fanfiction since usually people just draw up their OC's and post them on art websites or something. But nevertheless, it is because I am a perfectionist when it comes to writing - especially with fanfiction - so I apparently felt the need to add every single detail there was into the first chapter. I apologize if this is annoying, but it's probably not going to change. Arigato!]

Tika's POV

Place: Konoha Inn; Room 9

Time Setting: Pre-Chunin Exams

I sucked in a deep breath through my mouth as I plopped down in a nearby chair. I grabbed the bottled water that sat on the table, the lid already unscrewed from the top, and took a long swig from it. The water running down my throat felt wonderful, a great medicine that my vocal chords had longed for after at least three hours of non-stop training. I released a relieved sigh once I was able to get my breath back, my body thankful that it was finally at rest.

I glanced out the window of the suite, admiring a family of blue jays that had built a nest in the tree just outside the glass barrier. The wind was blowing just slightly, enough to ruffle the leaves on their branches but not to actually tear them away. The sky here in Konoha was so very blue that I almost believed it to be an illusion, a trick of the mind, and the clouds were as thick and white as cotton balls, if not fluffier. The entire village appeared to be peaceful, the people walking by with ease and little stress. I could feel the serene atmosphere calm my thoughts, but I was also uncomfortable with the distractingly bright environment. Clear skies and tickling zephyrs were not apart of my usual element and it unnerved me for some reason.

_I guess I'm just so used to the rain back home that I've forgotten what a waterless village could look like … how different it could be …_

I had lived in Amegakure my whole life, never once stepping from the borders of the village (_not like I could anyway, it's pretty heavily guarded shinobi territory_). I hadn't even the tiniest bit of curiosity in my system to ponder what life was like in the other villages around the world. I knew they would be different, they could even be more hospitable than Amegakure, yet I still remained unfazed. I liked the rain, I enjoyed it's clean, misty smell and the sound it would make when it tapped against my bedroom ceiling._ You would think that being around a stormy environment for so many years would cause one to grow tired of it, but not me. I'm weird like that._

I got up from my chair and took a seat on one of the double beds in the room, crossing my legs and steadying my breathing. I prepared myself for a meditation exercise, one I always undertook after I finished my genjutsu training. I was thankful that I had the whole suite to myself, the peace and quiet a bonus to helping me concentrate on my meditation. Our sensei, Yukimura Katsu, had taken Akio and Hayato out to practice their ninjutsu and taijutsu while I was able to do my own exercises by myself. I had promised that I would meet up with the rest of the squad downstairs in the main lobby to do some more training around noon, after I had woken up from my altered state of consciousness.

So, without wasting any time, I began to clear my thoughts of any and all distractions, opening my mind and body to the sounds and feelings around me. I quite enjoyed the strange, out-of-body experience. It was my favourite way to unwind after doing a stressful activity, despite the fact that training in genjutsu wasn't exactly stressful to begin with. Sometimes I would get so relaxed in my own imaginary universe that I would forget about the world around me; the true world where I was able to communicate with people and make my dreams become reality … _even if sometimes reality hurts._

This was among one of the many times where I would be so deeply enveloped in my own mind that I failed to return to consciousness entirely. _How did I become aware of this predicament, you may be asking?_ Well, after what only seemed to be minutes of silent meditation - _when in truth I had been sitting quietly for two hours_ - I was violently shaken on my shoulders by a foreign pairs of arms. My peaceful thoughts were instantly shattered as my eyes snapped open, a sharp intake of breath ready in my throat in a hasty attempt to defend myself from an enemy. However, whichever jutsu I had randomly selected instantly faded away as I saw that I was not being attacked by a shinobi, but instead being forced awake by none other than my obnoxious teammate, Akio.

His expression read that he was annoyed, yet his eyes told me that he had been scared to disrupt my exercise. "Jeez, finally you're up. We've been waiting in the lobby for, like, a half hour." He removed his hands from my shoulders and dropped them at his sides. I then noticed that he was actually crouching in front of the bed so his face would be level with mine. "You're more difficult to wake up from simple mediation than Hayato is after a measly nap."

I blinked and felt my eyebrows knot together, somewhat taken aback by Akio's blunt joke. Of course, I had been used to his sarcastic sense of humour for many years now, I had even encouraged him to do so on many occasions, but I typically didn't appreciate being the butt of his antics. So, without even uttering a word to him, I demonstrated my feelings about the situation in one simple motion. I slapped him, lightly, across the face.

Laughter immediately spiked from the background. I glanced over and saw Hayato chuckling to himself near the door to our suit, a pronounced gleam of sweat apparent over his dark arms and forehead. Katsu leaned against a wall near him, arms crossed over his chest, causing his flak jacket to crinkle. "Dude, if she hadn't slapped you, I would have."

"Yeah, whatever." Akio said as he massaged his pink cheek timidly. I noticed his skin had a clear coat of sweat on it as well, an obvious sign that both the boys had been battling particularly hard outside earlier with our sensei. Akio stood up, ruffled my short, snowy hair, and walked to the other side of the room before I could swat him again. "But I was serious when I said we were waiting for a half hour."

I chuckled a bit and cast each of my squad mates an apologetic grin. _It's certainly impressive how they all put up with me on a daily basis. Especially our sensei._

Speaking of Katsu, he had not moved from his lounging position on the wall, his golden eyes watching the scenery outside as he also listened in on our conversation. He had a Jonin's quick reflexes, a specialty of sorts in his case, but he didn't gloat about it, even though he definitely deserved the bragging rights. He was a humble man - _a teacher, friend, and guardian, as well_ - and said that he was only doing what was necessary to ensure the safety of those around him.

He was very tall with a medium build, nothing to brag about yet still quite capable in close combat. He wore the typical Jonin attire - _black pants with a matching shirt_ - along with an Amegakure flak jacket, completely grey since it matched the overcast skies of our village (_a bit dull for a Jonin in my opinion_). His hair was the same honey colour as his eyes, pulled back into a sort of Mohawk-ponytail, his head shaved at the sides while it was pulled back at the nape of his neck. He had a small goatee just under his lip, some stubble on his cheeks the only sign that he actually grew hair on his face besides on his chin. He usually wore a serious expression, sometimes more blasé rather than concentrated, but underneath his teacher-like façade he actually had a really good sense of humour. Sure, he had to order Akio and Hayato to knock it the fuck off during training (_which happens A LOT by the way_), but he told me once that he truly did enjoy our antics. I think that stemmed from the fact that he really liked kids, and it was pretty freaking obvious that he couldn't wait to become a father one day. Katsu had a very sweet cherry filling, but he didn't dare let that show when he was on duty.

His sharp, cat-like eyes turned towards mine. "I assume you've been practicing your genjutsu." It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway, more out of respect than as an actual answer to his rhetorical statement.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." Hayato said, grabbing a nearby towel and flinging it over his shoulder. "I'm getting a shower."

"Hey! I thought you said you wanted to eat first?!" Akio exclaimed as he attempted to fight his way into the bathroom before his friend could. They always argued about three specific things: who gets the comfy bed to sleep on, who gets the last dumpling at dinner, and lastly, who gets the right to bathe first. _It was actually quite an amusing sight to witness …_

The boys began an epic tug-a-war with the towel, apparently not caring that they kept slamming each other into the archway of the bathroom door. I ignored their foul name-calling and witty banter as I stood up from the bed, stretching out my sore limbs that had been aching from sitting still for so long. I smiled as Katsu forcefully snatched the white linen away from the two teenagers' fingers, sliding past them into the bathroom. He uttered out a quiet "You two need to learn some patience" before he closed the door in their faces. It was now my turn to laugh outright as the two baka males stood there with puppy-dog eyes, staring at the bathroom door longingly.

"Well that sucked." Hayato finally muttered as he took a seat in a nearby chair. Akio followed suit and grabbed a couple bottles of water from the mini fridge. I took a seat next to them, propping my legs up on Akio's lap as they continued to converse. _Oh, I really want to join in, but I know I can't … Grrrrr._

"Do you think the Chunin Exams will be as difficult as Scorpion said?" Hayato continued as he leisurely sipped at his water. The 'Scorpion', as Hayato had said, was simply an epithet for Katsu-sensei, a title he had acquired after he had completed a dangerous mission against some enemy shinobi from Iwagakure …_ But that's a tale for another time._

"Considering the beating we just took outside from him, I'd say he's simply preparing us for the worst." Akio responded in a very uncharacteristically philosophical manner. However, he did raise an excellent point. "I think he was just demonstrating what we might need to resort to if the time ever calls for it."

"Yeah, we need to be prepared." Hayato replied, sounding just as oddly mature as his comrade. I often wondered if they had multiple personalities where one side of them would say something intelligent while the other side did something incredibly stupid. _But then again, they are teenage guys …_ A grin suddenly appeared on his face, all signs of his contemplative psyche gone. "But we still have our trump card to help us get through."

His dark eyes bored into mine, a palpable clue that he had been discretely talking about me. As much as I disliked his ever-so-clever wording about my usage in battle, I couldn't deny that his message rang true. I'm not saying that I'm some super powerful kunoichi who could take down a whole army with a single blow -_ I promise you that will not be happening in this tale_ - but I was capable enough on missions to be labeled as a prodigy among the young Amegakure shinobi since I was eleven years old. Granted, most of my abilities had come from sheer dumb luck, but I made the most out of a bad situation and turned it into a blessing. _Well, perhaps 'blessing' isn't exactly the right word to define it as … a ' serviceable curse' would be much more fitting._

I rolled my eyes at him and turned away, a gesture to them showing that I was done with this conversation. Not even a moment had passed when the bathroom door abruptly reopened, revealing a refreshed-looking Katsu in the archway. His face was a bit more luminous due to his quick rinse in the sink and he had let his ponytail loose, letting the medium-length strands fall down his back. The Scorpion grinned at us, most likely because he had overheard our discussion, and motioned for us to get up. "Let's grab lunch. You can all continue your exercises afterwards."

Without further instruction, the four of us exited the suite and made our way down the stairs. Hayato and Akio kept complaining that they hadn't been able to wash up earlier, but the idea of food seemed to overpower their need for personal cleanliness. I mentally sighed in exasperation. _They're such a handful sometimes … Oh God, I sound like a mother, don't I? … I seriously need to stop that …_

As we meandered through the halls of the quaintly decorated inn, my gaze never drifted from the windows along the walls, my sight captivated by some of the passing pedestrians on the street. I could effortlessly distinguish Konoha ninja from plain civilians, and, although it really didn't interest me at all, I briefly wondered which of these citizens we would be encountering during the Exams tomorrow afternoon.

_Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we …_ I could feel a conniving grin make it's way onto my lips before I could help it.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

[AU: This isn't exactly a real chapter, per say, but more of a prologue sort of thing … just to get things warmed up before the Exams really start. The first stage of the Chunin Exams will be featured in the next section, so get ready to read a loooooooooooooong chapter. Man, my vocabulary is at an all-time low today, isn't it? Ugh. As I said before, there really won't be much romance in this story until probably the very end, so if anyone is looking for some serious Gaara loving *cough, cough* (calling out the crazy fan girls) *cough, cough*, you might want to come back to this story once it's been updated more. Wow, I'm actually telling people NOT to read my story … Well, this is a first … Signing off - ShadowManipulator7 '-.-']

[P.S. I am, again, kind of sleep deprived.]

[P.S.S. I obviously just made up the Konoha Inn. It's such a generic name, so that pretty much gives it away.]

[P.S.S.S. I like applesauce.]


End file.
